Belarus targets Africa as key market for export diversification

Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko convened a high-level meeting to set an ambitious agenda for developing cooperation with African countries, emphasizing the continent’s potential as a strategic market for Belarusian exports and economic influence.

The president noted that discussions on African cooperation have become a regular feature at the head-of-state level, driven by the need to diversify traditional export markets. “And not only because we have begun to lose ground there, especially in terms of exporting our products,” Lukashenko remarked, BelTA reports.

Ahead of the meeting, some government officials expressed doubts about the feasibility of preparing in a short timeframe. Addressing them directly, the president warned: “I warn all government members and those overseeing cooperation with Africa: be ready every day, from morning to night, to report and discuss key issues.” He stressed that the meeting was convened not for theory or “philosophical musings,” but for practical work, with an agenda focused on the current state of African cooperation and proposals for future development.

Lukashenko urged participants to present new initiatives in key areas, including food security, industrial and military-technical exports, and the establishment of joint assembly plants. He also called for programs in education and healthcare, aimed at training skilled personnel to support bilateral projects.

“For Belarus, Africa today is what China was 30 years ago: a market of the future where we must engage proactively and establish our own niches. It is there that the reserves for export diversification lie, particularly for the key sectors of our economy such as agriculture, mechanical engineering, fertilizer production, and others,” he stated.

Highlighting Africa’s economic and demographic potential, the president noted that the continent’s GDP growth is projected at more than 4% in 2025, up from 3% the previous year, with population growth of 2-3% annually. Despite this, Africa’s role in world trade remains modest, accounting for only 2.6% of global exports and 3% of imports, which Lukashenko described as a “compressed spring” of deferred demand.

He also emphasized Africa’s vast natural resource reserves, including one-third of the world’s minerals, 8% of natural gas, 12% of oil, 40% of gold, and up to 90% of chromium and platinum. “This makes Africa a locomotive with which we can move forward, but only through a strong and reliable partnership. It must not be done slapdash,” he warned.

Lukashenko criticized the government’s existing 2024-2026 action program for African cooperation, calling it overly simplistic and lacking ambition. He noted that the projected export growth of 107.2% was only slightly above the national average of 97.5%. “It would seem that this is the opportunity. If progress is being made, we must consolidate our resources, support the strongest, and guide the rest. But what is in reality?” he asked. “I still see no signs of systematic work. No adjustments are being made, neither to plans nor to methods.”

By Vafa Guliyeva